cooking oil

Some cooking oils are more sensitive than others when it comes to light and heat exposure. Although most oils are shelf-stable, proper storage is still important, particular for mono- and poly-unsaturated oils, which are liquid at room temperature. This is not to say that saturated fats like ghee or coconut oil won’t eventually go rancid on your shelf (or lose some flavor and nutritional value over time), but the liquid oils (especially high-quality ones) are especially vulnerable to oxidation over time.

Infinity Jars: Stellar Storage

I’m sharing this today, because a company called Infinity Jars reached out to me and asked me to review their products. I’ll be honest, at first I was reluctant. I took a look at the prices and thought, “I wouldn’t buy empty bottles at these prices, why would I tell my readers to buy them?” But then I saw that they offer freebies, even with small orders as low as $25, and new customers get a 10% discount. Orders over $100 get free shipping (plus more freebies), so my curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to have them send me a couple to test out.

Today’s product review will be about the incredible difference I saw and tasted after storing fresh avocado oil in an Infinity Jar for a little over two months.

Planning is for Suckers

Initially, I had big plans to make a really cool video that showed my experiment from start to finish. But, alas, life got in the way. I started this oil experiment before I quit my job, and in the hectic transition out of office life, I ended up forgetting about it until two months later. I’d originally intended to do a taste test every week for a month, and then report out the findings to you. But that absolutely did not happen. Instead, I poured the oils into two different jars and left them on my counter, exposed to partial sunlight from my kitchen window for just over 2 months.

Details: The Infinity Jar Experiment

I started by opening a fresh bottle of La Tourangelle avocado oil. This oil comes in an opaque, metal container with a loose-fitting rubbery plastic top. It’s really nice oil. I poured about a cup of it into an Infinity Jar oil bottle with a pour top spout and another cup into a glass bottle. This bottle is roughly the same light green/blue color that you’d find in a super market filled with an average, not-very-special olive oil or vegetable oil. I also purchased a bottle of Chosen Foods avocado oil, which comes in a nicer, darker green bottle, such as what you might find at a boutique olive oil dispensary in the wine country or a high-end market. Here are the three of them all lined up.

Two months later, I did a not-blind taste test with myself, along with a totally blind taste test with my husband. (He was also unaware I’d been conducting this experiment prominently on our kitchen counter for 2 months, and confused as to why I was asking him to drink oil out of a shot glass. I share that detail so that you know he had NO idea what a “right answer” should be.)

Results: Infinity Jars for the Win

The clear winner was not only obvious to our taste buds, it was also very clear in just looking at the oils in the shot glasses. (I asked Loren not to look as he tasted, so he didn’t see until afterwards.)

So there you have it folks: I was initially a skeptic, and now I’m a loyal user of Infinity Jars. If you peruse their website, you’ll see how they report to measure up against dark brown glass as well. I didn’t run that experiment, but as a dabbler in essential oil potions and homemade body care (which I have been storing in brown jars), I am certainly curious about how my homemade goods are holding up after running this experiment in my kitchen with plain oil.

Give it a look and let me know what you think! For more information on cooking oils and choosing the right one for the right temperature to avoid rancidity and toxicity, consult my FREE Ultimate Guide to Cooking Oils!